Waterborne UV finishes are the best quality for creating the most durable cabinetry. With its eco-friendly composition, and fast-drying features, waterborne UV cures are the top of the line cabinet finish in the marketplace. Whatever finish you choose, add a polyurethane varnish on top.
On average, semi-gloss oil-based paint is the most durable finish for kitchen cabinets. Because of its sheen, semi-gloss paint can reflect light and remain durable for a long time.
Hardwood. Arguably the most durable material for kitchen cabinets, hardwood is solid wood. Some hardwood types, such as hickory or maple, will resist scratching and denting more than softwood species like walnut and mahogany.
While there are many types of paint to choose from, the best paint for kitchen cabinets is typically semi-gloss, gloss or satin. Matte is not practical in kitchens and baths where you will need durable paint you can easily clean.
Cherry and maple wood cabinets are the most durable for a long life-span. There are two types of wood you can craft your cabinets with, broad-leafed, hard trees, and soft trees. Hard trees yield birch, oak, maple, cherry, and hickory cabinets. Meanwhile, soft trees yield pine, spruce, and cedar cabinetry.
While oak really shines when it comes to use in furniture, flooring, and cabinet making due to its denseness and durability, birch makes for a very popular alternative. Birch can be a more economical choice and will suit certain styles of furniture better than oak.
Most cabinets available for purchase will be some form of engineered wood with a wood veneer or painted finish. This is particularly true for the box of the cabinet. The use of engineered wood is a good thing as plywood boxes are the sturdiest and most durable.
While satin finishes tend to be fairly durable in high traffic areas, they're not as durable and versatile as semi-gloss against mildew and mold. Kitchen cabinets in high moisture environments can, therefore, do better with semi-gloss paints.
Since glossy finishes are the quickest to show scratches and stains, matte finishes are ideal for those who want to hide their furniture's imperfections. On the other hand, cabinets with a matte finish absorb light instead of reflecting it. As a result, this finish will not help your space feel bigger.
Lacquer offers a superior clear coat shine, water-resistant, breathable and chip resistant type of finish which is a best choice for kitchen cabinetry. One big advantage of using lacquer paint on kitchen cabinets is that it is very fast drying and this makes it easy to apply a second coat.
Around the 5-7 year point, an MDF kitchen will exhibit significant age and wear signs. Although an MDF kitchen may be a less expensive option for a quick refresh, read on if you want something that will last!
Wood is more expensive than any of the composite cabinet materials available, and solid wood doors and drawer fronts are typical in high-quality cabinets. Examples of the more luxurious woods used in quality cabinets are cherry, mahogany, chestnut and cypress.
Durability-wise, thermofoil stands up to daily use and general wear and tear better than a painted cabinet. The finish holds up strongly against regular household damage such as water spills or light hand scratches due to its plastic coating.
Many professionals now use latex paint, citing the improvements to the formula and the as-good-as finish they can get on most surfaces. We actually prefer a third type of paint for cabinets, the hybrid enamel.
Thermofoil fronts are a lot more stable to MDF being used as the core; however, because of the nature of how they are made, they can be susceptible to heat. Extended exposure to a heat source will result in the plastic material peeling away from the core and discoloring.
A polyurethane varnish finish can cut down on the wear and tear of kitchen cabinets, help keep them looking new and extend the life of the cabinets. Polyurethane works best on unfinished wood but can also be painted directly onto painted surfaces.
Satin is the best finish for painting kitchen cabinets if you want to play with color but you want to keep a sense of elegance and liveliness to the space.
Matt is perfect for contemporary living and comes in a wide variety of colours that can easily be designed according to your space. One huge advantage matt has over a high gloss kitchen finish is that the surface of the cabinets will not as easily show any imperfections, smudges, stains or fingerprints.
For a long-lasting finish that holds up better to wear and tear, Kardel recommends using enamel paint formulated for cabinets, or even industrial equipment enamels, which are more dense and dry harder.
Semi-gloss finishes boast a sleek, highly radiant sheen and can showcase a room's architectural details. This finish is best for high-traffic areas, like bathrooms, kitchens, foyers, and mudrooms. It's also suitable for cabinets or built-ins, trim, and doors.
So, as you can see, Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is essentially a type of engineered wood composite made from wood fibers. Both wood types have now become the preferred choice over natural wood in interior and exterior building projects because they are stronger, durable, and eco-friendly.
Engineered wood is also referred to as composite wood or manufactured board-it includes wood products that are made by binding particles, fibers, or veneers of wood together with adhesives to form composite materials.
Perishable Versus Resilient
Oppositions to birch are relatively few, but it is considered a perishable wood product that rots and decays when exposed to weather. The wood is also susceptible to infestation by bugs.